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Review: Twisted Metal

Mr. Grimm, a deceased biker, does a little repair on the road.

Photograph by: Submitted
, Sony

If you’ve been playing games for a long time, no doubt you will have favourites that stick with you.

For me Twisted Metal is one of those games. Even though it’s been more than 10 years since the last Twisted Metal release, I would still count this game as one of my most-loved franchises.

Obviously, this is the first game in the PlayStation 3 realm as this is a Sony exclusive just released this week.

Better graphics, more control, and so many more options, unlockables and modes are all reasons why this incarnation of Twisted Metal will delight historic fans or new ones alike. Not to say it isn’t without issues.

The story was always my favourite part of Twisted Metal. An evil and sadistic “CEO” by the name of Calypso would put on a tournament every year where he gathered a number of troubled characters who all have reasons to enter — revenge, redemption, desperation — and if you won, you were rewarded with not only liberty, but also riches.

The combatants all have super-loaded vehicles of destruction. Each has its own special attack, but there are also standard weapons, such as guns and freeze attacks on each car as well as a landscape littered with power-ups from standard homing missiles to napalm or fire.

Each character has strengths, and of course, weaknesses. So if you choose, say Mr. Grimm, a deceased biker with a skull for a head, you’ll drive around in a motorcycle that’s manoeuvrable and agile but also almost without armour. Sweet Tooth, the serial killer clown with his hair on fire, you’ll drive an ice cream truck that has a good blend of armour and is able to move, and then Warthog, who has an armoured army vehicle that offers more protection, but often gets stuck.

The real star of this version though may be the environments. From New York to small-town California, there are all sorts of places to play, and everything in them is destructible.

Blow up a house, drive through it, take out an ice rink, whip through the subway tunnels, the environments are huge and there is always something interesting going on.

You won’t really be able to “camp” anywhere though, this game always was soaked with adrenalin and the pace is chaotic and challenging.

In fact, for some, it may be too much of a challenge.

From the first stages of the game there is a sense all your opponents are ganging up on you, and there’s absolutely an element of cheapness in their attacks. You’re going to have to be on your toes and think of strategies, places you scout out and launch attacks from, as knowing where the power-ups are and which areas have good escape routes are essential.

Be prepared to be destroyed by your foes, though. They are relentless and accurate and their special attacks rarely miss and drain your power.

There are some great new twists to Twisted Metal though. One is a great counter for the viciousness of your opponents, it’s a new way to heal. You have a travelling truck that dispenses health which can get you back in the game in a hurry. There’s also a garage you can visit to recharge and you have three vehicles to use to freshen up.

There’s also the unlockable Talon battle helicopter that, while vulnerable to hits, is also fast and able to get around the area quickly and unleash an unrelenting attack.

If you get nailed by the Talon it’s all but over, but if you have it in your control then you can do real damage.

The other great new feature is the online play.

Matching up against human opponents is something that takes the cheapness out of the game and is well worth checking out.

The new modes include a new Electric Cage mode where suddenly “safe” smaller areas of the landscape are set and you have to get there by the time the timer runs out or your health will drain in a hurry, or Juggernaut which is a survival game that has you battling the giant armoured truck that spits other enemies out and you have to choose whether you take out all the smaller foes or Juggernaut first.

They’re nice diversions, but the online mode is probably the best.

The stories aren’t as rich for all the characters though, choosing to really tell the game through chapters of three main characters: Sweet Tooth, Doll Face and Mr. Grimm.

This is a bit of a letdown for me, as I really enjoyed some other characters like Axl, Thumper, Grasshopper, and they play lesser roles here.

Still, the dark and deceptive theme of the game is still there.

And with the over-the-top cartoon arcade feel, this is a great update of an old classic with some nice new twists. I can only hope we see another version within the next decade.

A nice twist on the Limited Edition version is that it includes a free download for Twisted Metal Black, the PS2 classic game, well worth it for old fans or newcomers who want a taste of how the series was in its last episode.

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